The term bulkhead as used herein means a wall or partition or supporting structure. The term bulkhead fitting as used herein means a component that is secured into a hole in a bulkhead. In general, the purpose of a bulkhead fitting is to provide a connector that is attached to and/or through a bulkhead. The connector can, for example, be a fluid connector or an electrical connector or other connector. In the case of fluid connector bulkhead fittings, the bulkhead fitting may provide a path for fluid to flow through the bulkhead without leakage.
For bulkhead fittings of these types, it is desired that the bulkhead fitting not unintentionally rotate or loosen during assembly or in use. Rotation or loosening may result, for example, from excessive vibration or excessive external force or torque in some situations. Further, it is desired that the bulkhead fitting not require undesirably high assembly torques for assembling the fitting into the bulkhead. Further, it is desired that the bulkhead fitting not include relatively high additional complexity or cost and not introduce reliability issues.
These technical problems may be further explained, for example, with reference to a fluid connector bulkhead fitting. In general, this type of bulkhead fitting may include a fitting body that extends through a hole in the bulkhead and an internal passage that extends through the body. A fluid conduit such as a tube may be connected to each of the opposite ends of the fluid connector bulkhead fitting. Fluid flows through one of the conduits and then through the passage in the bulkhead fitting body and then through the other conduit, to flow the fluid through the bulkhead without leakage. Fluid connector bulkhead fittings of this type may include a head such as a hexagonal wrench receiving head on one side of the bulkhead and a threaded nut on the other side of the bulkhead. The fluid connector bulkhead fitting body may be assembled into the hole in the bulkhead. The head may engage one side of the bulkhead, and the nut may be tightened on the body against the opposite side of the bulkhead with a fitting assembly torque to secure the body to the bulkhead.
After assembly of the body into the bulkhead in this manner, it may be possible for the body or nut to rotate relative to the bulkhead. For example, the conduits may be secured to the opposite ends of the fitting body after assembly of the fitting body into the bulkhead. When this is done, excessive conduit assembly rotational torque may be applied to the fitting body. If this excessive rotational torque on the fitting body substantially exceeds the fitting assembly torque, the bulkhead fitting body may tend to rotate and loosen. Further, after assembly of the fitting body into the bulkhead in this manner, the bulkhead and the bulkhead fitting may be exposed to excessive vibration in use that may tend to rotate and loosen the nut relative to the body or the body relative to the nut.